Justin Hugh Testifies in Brendan Banfield Trial — The "Au Pair Affair Murder Trial"

Michael Gibbons, Fairfax County Police Lt., took the stand in the murder trial of Brendan Banfield, the former IRS agent charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors allege Banfield and the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, lured Ryan to their Herndon home through a fetish website and staged the killings as a home invasion.The defense argues digital forensics contradict the catfishing theory and that investigators who disagreed were reassigned. Banfield faces life without parole if convicted. The four-week trial continues in Fairfax County.#TrueCrimeToday #BrendanBanfield #AuPairAffair #MurderTrial #ChristineBanfield #JosephRyan #FairfaxCounty #JulianaMagalhaes #Justice #BreakingJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

14 Jan 21min

Zachary Beckner, Fairfax Co. Police Officer, took the stand in the murder trial of Brendan Banfield, the former IRS agent charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors allege Banfield and the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, lured Ryan to their Herndon home through a fetish website and staged the killings as a home invasion.The defense argues digital forensics contradict the catfishing theory and that investigators who disagreed were reassigned. Banfield faces life without parole if convicted. The four-week trial continues in Fairfax County.#TrueCrimeToday #BrendanBanfield #AuPairAffair #MurderTrial #ChristineBanfield #JosephRyan #FairfaxCounty #JulianaMagalhaes #Justice #BreakingJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

14 Jan 27min

True Crime Today examines the twisted logic behind Nick Reiner's reported belief that he's the victim of a conspiracy. Sources told TMZ that Nick admits to killing his parents Rob and Michele Reiner—but allegedly doesn't understand why he's incarcerated. He reportedly believes the people who put him behind bars are conspiring against him.Tony Brueski argues that Nick is actually correct. There has been a conspiracy. For 32 years.The conspiracy was every system that protected Nick from consequences. More than 18 rehab stays where he'd get clean just long enough to leave and use again. Doctors who changed his schizoaffective disorder medication because he complained about weight gain. Treatment facilities that took the Reiners' money and released him after 30 days—long enough to detox, not long enough to treat the underlying illness. A family that had "grown used to" behavior that alarmed everyone else.The conspiracy was FOR Nick Reiner, not against him. And it worked beautifully until December 14th, when he allegedly killed the only two people willing to keep it running.Now the conspiracy has flipped. Alan Jackson walked away. The family isn't funding the defense. Prosecutor Habib Balian—who handled Menendez and Durst—is on the case. For the first time in Nick's life, the system is working against him instead of for him.To someone who's never faced real accountability, that probably does feel like persecution. But that's not conspiracy. That's justice. And the only question now is whether it finally sticks.#NickReiner #RobReiner #TrueCrimeToday #Conspiracy #Murder #InsanityDefense #Justice #TrueCrime #Accountability #MentalHealthJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

14 Jan 14min

The prosecution's case against Brendan Banfield lives or dies with Juliana Peres Magalhaes. She's the only witness who says he planned the murders. She's also the woman who took a plea deal that lets her walk free if she delivers. Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer joins True Crime Today to analyze the credibility of a star witness with everything to gain and nothing to lose. Juliana was charged with murder. She spent a year in jail telling police the same story Brendan did — that Joseph Ryan was an intruder and they shot him in self-defense. Then she changed her story. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter. She got time served. She gets deported to Brazil. Her sentencing is scheduled after Banfield's trial to ensure continued cooperation. In a letter from jail, she wrote that she was "heartbroken for doing this to Brendan" and that she loved him. But she wanted to be with her mother again. Coffindaffer has worked with cooperating witnesses throughout her FBI career. In this interview, she explains how prosecutors prepare a witness whose motivation to lie is obvious, what corroborating evidence the jury should demand, and how the defense will try to destroy Juliana's credibility on cross-examination. The prosecution claims Juliana was reluctant and told it was "too late to back out." The defense says she's lying to save herself. The jury decides.#BrendanBanfield #TrueCrimeToday #JulianaPeresMagalhaes #JenniferCoffindaffer #FBI #AuPairMurder #PleaDeal #StarWitness #MurderTrial #TrueCrimeNewsJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

13 Jan 11min

The families of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin have united to file a massive lawsuit against Washington State University. The 126-page complaint alleges WSU ignored at least 13 formal complaints about Bryan Kohberger's predatory behavior in the months before he murdered four students.The details are staggering. A professor warned colleagues that Kohberger would become a stalker and sexual abuser if given his degree. Women on campus developed emergency protocols — "911" subject lines, escort systems, door strategies — because the institution wouldn't protect them. One student fled into a bathroom to hide from him. Another ran from a classroom in tears after he verbally attacked her.Five days before the murders, WSU held mandatory discrimination training for Kohberger's cohort. The lawsuit alleges a supervisor worried that firing Kohberger could expose WSU to legal action — so they kept him employed, housed, and on campus with full access to students.The families are seeking accountability under Title IX, wrongful death claims, and gross negligence. Their attorneys call what happened "foreseeable — and, in fact, predictable."This episode breaks down the lawsuit, the timeline, and the institutional failures that the families say allowed a known threat to escalate into tragedy.#BryanKohberger #WSULawsuit #IdahoMurders #TrueCrimeToday #KayleeGoncalves #MadisonMogen #XanaKernodle #EthanChapin #BreakingNews #TrueCrimeJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

13 Jan 21min

Alicia Dale, Custodian of Records in Fairfax County, took the stand in the murder trial of Brendan Banfield, the former IRS agent charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors allege Banfield and the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, lured Ryan to their Herndon home through a fetish website and staged the killings as a home invasion.The defense argues digital forensics contradict the catfishing theory and that investigators who disagreed were reassigned. Banfield faces life without parole if convicted. The four-week trial continues in Fairfax County.#TrueCrimeToday #BrendanBanfield #AuPairAffair #MurderTrial #ChristineBanfield #JosephRyan #FairfaxCounty #JulianaMagalhaes #Justice #BreakingJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

13 Jan 17min

The Brendan Banfield murder trial begins today in Fairfax County, Virginia — and before testimony even starts, this case has problems. Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer joins True Crime Today to examine an investigation that's already under fire. Here's what we know: Officer Brendan Miller, the department's digital forensics expert, analyzed 60 devices and concluded Christine Banfield controlled the FetLife account — not her husband Brendan. His work was peer-reviewed by the University of Alabama. Confirmed. Then he was transferred out of the digital forensics unit. According to testimony, Deputy Chief Brusch told him he'd never work another case like this. The lead homicide detective who questioned the catfishing theory was also reassigned. Prosecutor Eric Clingan admitted there were 24 different theories among 12 detectives until the au pair gave her proffer. The child's forensic interview was excluded from evidence. And Clingan himself was removed after being found drinking at 8 a.m. Coffindaffer has spent her career building federal cases. She knows what solid police work looks like and what confirmation bias looks like. In this interview, she breaks down the timeline, the evidence collection gaps, and what the FBI would have done differently. If the defense is right that this is "a theory in search of facts," Coffindaffer will tell you why.#BrendanBanfield #TrueCrimeToday #JenniferCoffindaffer #FBI #ChristineBanfield #AuPairMurder #VirginiaHomicide #MurderTrial #TrueCrimeNews #CriminalJusticeJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

13 Jan 12min